Not at all! I was agreeing with you-- the problems are inherent in our culture and in the structure of the schools. It's why so many urban teachers burn out and either quit completely or teach somewhere else-- either a private school or a rich suburban school that might as well be private.
The learning goals come out of the teacher-bashing culture of politicians. Schools aren't working? Must be those lazy union hack teachers. The tests are a gotcha designed to pinpoint exactly HOW we aren't doing our jobs. The problem is, as I said, if you tell us to teach the kids the stuff that's going to be on the test, that's what we'll do. We'll try to keep our excitement for the subject matter and a love of learning in general, but if the primary goal is for the kids to pass the test, we do our job.
And you're absolutely right. The STUDENT learns. In an ideal world, we're there ONLY as a guide and facilitator-- that's what unschooling is supposed to be at its core, and what John Holt tried to promote. The Sudbury Schools follow this model, too. The problem is that when you've got compelling societal reasons to impart concrete skills, kids have to learn things that they might not be interested in. A good teacher understands this and tries to get the kids excited and interested so that they'll buy into the curriculum. But if you're handed a bullshit curriculum, that can be nigh on impossible :)
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2010-07-08 01:50 pm (UTC)The learning goals come out of the teacher-bashing culture of politicians. Schools aren't working? Must be those lazy union hack teachers. The tests are a gotcha designed to pinpoint exactly HOW we aren't doing our jobs. The problem is, as I said, if you tell us to teach the kids the stuff that's going to be on the test, that's what we'll do. We'll try to keep our excitement for the subject matter and a love of learning in general, but if the primary goal is for the kids to pass the test, we do our job.
And you're absolutely right. The STUDENT learns. In an ideal world, we're there ONLY as a guide and facilitator-- that's what unschooling is supposed to be at its core, and what John Holt tried to promote. The Sudbury Schools follow this model, too. The problem is that when you've got compelling societal reasons to impart concrete skills, kids have to learn things that they might not be interested in. A good teacher understands this and tries to get the kids excited and interested so that they'll buy into the curriculum. But if you're handed a bullshit curriculum, that can be nigh on impossible :)